Hello, everyone!

With all classwork for the year FINALLY behind me, the start of REAL work on my History PhD already approaching, and several recent writing sprints, it was a bit hard to find a song that best fit the various moods I've been in the past week. After careful thought, however, I've found what seems like the ideal choice for this week's music: Twas In The Moon of Wintertime, or Huron Carol, performed by (who else? :D ) the Cambridge Singers. (Usual copyrights apply; I own nothing!)

I first heard this song on the Singers' 1990 album almost ten years ago, and it's stuck with me ever since, due to the outstanding performance by itself, and the fascinating history behind its creation. Composed around 1642 by Jean de Brebeuf, a French Jesuit missionary, it was originally written in the language of the Wyandot (Huron) people in what is today Ontario, whom Brebeuf was living amongst at the time, and is an example of his efforts to learn both this and the Huron culture, as a means of establishing bonds between the Catholic missions and the Native Americans of the region. Both haunting and stirring, it's become a personal favorite for this time of year, and the perfect tune for relaxing in the middle of or after a writing session, or for cooldowns following jam-packed weeks like the one just past.

This current cooldown should last a couple weeks, at least--but I won't be completely idle during them. The redo work on All Eyes is done as of now, though I'll be tinkering here and there with plot ideas and specific sections probably through New Year's. Turns out I'm not quite into the next permitted period for KDP sales on most of my Kindle books, but I will have the eligible works up for sale before the week is out, and the For State & Country promo codes are still available as well. Will have more news on this (and hopefully the Sea Lion Press submission) by next week's post on Xmas Eve: till then, enjoy your time off if you've got it, and keep up the comments, shares and reviews!